Casual Friday earns serious money

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, November 12, 2007

In just two days, Kittridge's Casual Dress Friday raised more than $500, which he donated to the Good Samaritan Fund at the New Milford Social Services Department.

The Voorhees, N.J., teen arrived at the Social Services office Friday with a bank check for $517 for the fund, which helps families in emergencies pay their electric bills or cover other essential household expenses.

"That was so cool," said Peg Molina, department director. "It was just a really nice surprise."

Kittridge said he originally thought the money could to be used for Thanksgiving dinners, but he decided the fund was a better way to spread out the donation.

At South Kent School on Monday, the soft-spoken senior and campus leader said the theme for his class this year is helping community, so he wanted to spearhead a project that went beyond the school service projects done in the past.

And he was pleasantly surprised with its success. "It really didn't take a lot of effort to organize," Kittridge said.

In recent months, he has heard and read a lot about the impact higher fuel prices are having on families and felt compelled to help in some small way.

"It was just something I knew needed to be done," he said.

His teacher adviser, Patrick Bonis, said the school encourages seniors to take on leadership duties, and Kittridge has clearly stepped up to the task.

Prior to coming to South Kent three years ago, Kittridge donated time in his hometown to teach hockey to autistic children. Since his arrival, he has regularly participated in campus-wide activities to help the Lions Club or with local food drives.

"I think it's great," Bonis said of Kittridge's initiative.

Beyond this project, Kittridge and his roommate, Tomasz Pacholec, have started an on-campus community service club with the goal of planning regular events and activities to benefit other local organizations and charities, he said.

Kittridge said he would be thrilled if this club becomes his legacy to the school.

"What I love is that he conceived the whole thing on his own, and then got a great deal of support from his classmates," Molina said. "He is a very soft-spoken young man, but obviously purposeful and obviously someone who has the respect of his peers to be able to do so well.

"It's awesome that he would offer that kind of gesture to the community, especially when he is not even a student in this community, but rather recognizes that we are all part of a greater community," Molina added. "There are people in need no matter where you are."